Heavenly mandate and self-cultivation: imperial scholar’s objects from the Ai Lian Tang Collection

Emperor Gaozong of Qing, known as Emperor Qianlong, reigned for sixty years (1736–1795) and continued to hold on to power as Emperor Emeritus for three years after his abdication. Militarily, he composed Shiquan Ji (Note on the Ten Campaigns, 1792) to commend his achievements and thereafter began calling himself Shiquan Laoren (The Old Man with Ten Accomplishments). Culturally, his reign also left a profound legacy. The compilation of the seven sets of Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) remains an unparalleled scholarly achievement, while the Shiqu Baoji (Collected Treasures of the Stony Moat) and Midian Zhulin (Forest of the Secret Hall), along with their sequels, catalogued the imperial collection of paintings and calligraphy. Imperial catalogues of bronzes and ink stones commissioned under his reign remain essential references for antiquarians today.

In the preface to Xiqing Yanpu (The Catalogue of Xiqing Inkstones), the Qianlong Emperor noted that since ancient times, when scholars eulogized stationery, the ‘Four Treasures of the Study’—brush, ink stick, paper, and ink stone— have always been ‘indispensable essentials’. However, brushes are the least durable, followed by paper, then ink, while ink stones are the most enduring. A superb example from the Christie’s upcoming Hong Kong Autumn Sale is an imperial Beijing enamel tiered ink stone warmer, ordered in the first year of his reign. In 1736, the ambitious 25-year-old Hongli ascended the throne, ushering in an era he hoped would be marked by stability and peace, symbolized by the wild geese and quails (yàn and ān, homophones for ‘peace’) depicted on this very object.

Ink stone warmers are designed to keep ink from freezing in cold weather, thereby facilitating writing. This type of ink stone can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty and its existence is documented in literary works of the period, such as Zhang Shuo’s Inscription on the Warm Ink stone and Bai Juyi’s poems. Those made for the Qing court, however, began during the Kangxi reign. Warm ink stones generally adopted three heating methods: charcoal heating, water heating, and a combination of charcoal and water heating. This example features a platform on the top tier, designed to hold an extremely thin Duan ink stone. Below the platform, hot water can be placed to prevent ink from solidifying in cold winters. The lower compartment contains a circular double-handled stove that could hold burning charcoal for heating. As recorded by Qing Archives, this ink stone warmer was ordered by imperial decree in the eleventh month of the first year of the Qianlong reign, only completed by the twelfth month of the following year. Exquisitely crafted, its decoration featuring wild geese and quails carries the auspicious meaning of ‘peace and harmony from all corners of the world,’ conveyed through a homophonic pun where the Chinese characters for ‘wild goose’(yàn) and ‘quail’ (ān) sound like the characters for ‘peace’. During cold winters when ink tends to freeze, placing the ink stone atop this device would quickly melt the ice. From the eleventh lunar month of the second year of the Qianlong reign to the twelfth lunar month of the third year of the Qianlong reign, a total of 12 ink stone warmers with an octagonal shape and antique-burnished copper were crafted over the course of a full year. This fully demonstrates Emperor Qianlong’s great enthusiasm for octagonal ink stone warmer.

On the cover of this ink stone warmer, painted enamel depicts wild geese and quails by a riverbank, rendered in clear and elegant hues. On the side, one tier is a gilt-copper openwork panel with peony patterns, while the remaining tiers are embellished with floral sprays against a yellow ground. The interior of both the cover and the box are coated with light blue enamel, and the base is finished in white enamel. At the center of the base, within a double square frame in blue enamel, are the four characters ‘乾隆年製’ (Made in the Qianlong Reign) in an imitation Song-dynasty style—a standard font for the marks on copper-body painted enamel wares. Painted enamel represents the pinnacle of Qing dynasty craftsmanship and is the crystallisation of cultural exchange between China and the West. Copper-body painted enamel was successfully developed at the imperial workshop during the Kangxi reign. Later, it gradually gave rise to other varieties including porcelain-body, Yixing clay-body, glass-body, gold-body, and silver-body (silver cloisonné) painted enamel. These six types of painted enamel works, distinguished by their different body material, constituted the overall landscape of painted enamel artifacts in the Qing Dynasty. Court-made painted enamel mainly flourished during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty, and all such works were crafted at the imperial workshop.

Beyond collecting scholarly treasures, the Qianlong Emperor was also an avid traveler. During his inspection tours of the Jiangnan region (the area south of the Yangtze River), he visited many tea-producing areas and adopted the Jiangnan literati’s tradition of tea tasting. He frequently held tea-tasting activities inside and outside the Forbidden City and even created his own unique blend, Sanqing cha (Three Purities Tea), composing poems in its praise. As a result, many types of tea sets decorated with poems about Sanqing cha have been passed down to this day. What exactly is Sanqing cha then? Sanqing cha uses the Emperor’s favorite Shifeng Longjing Tea (a premium variety produced on Shifeng Mountain) as its main ingredient, supplemented with plum blossoms, finger citron, and pine nut kernels harvested in the early Jiangnan Spring. It was brewed with clean snow water gathered from the imperial palace. The whiteness of the plum blossom, the fragrance of the finger citron and the rich taste of pine kernels constitutes the three purities. It is a type of tea created by Emperor Qianlong to embody the values he wished to impart to his officials: to uphold integrity in governance, clarity in administration, and purity in character. From 1743 onward, the emperor hosted an annual Three Purities Tea banquet in the Chonghua Palace every first lunar month, inviting royal family members and senior court officials. Notably, no wine, meat, or delicacies were served; instead, the emperor and his ministers only tasted tea and composed poems, with no discussion of political affairs. The best poems were inscribed onto tea vessels, giving rise to the ‘Three Purities tea bowls’ still admired today. The official whose poem was rated the best by the Emperor would be awarded one of these tea bowls as a special honor.

‘The plum blossom’s hue is not gaudy,

The Buddha’s hand exudes fragrance and purity.

Pine nuts offer a rich, sweet flavour —

These three treasures are uniquely clear and sublime.’

This poem, the most widely featured inscription on the ‘three purities tea’ ware, was composed by the Qianlong Emperor on his return from an autumn inspection tour of Mount Wutai. During the journey, the emperor and his retinue encountered snowfall in Hebei. Using melted snow water to brew tea, he enjoyed Sanqing cha in a felt tent and was inspired to write this verse. The poem also appears on a ‘three purities tea’ ewer presented in the upcoming Christie’s The Ai Lian Tang Collection - Imperial Scholars’ Objects sale in Hong Kong. The only known example, this ewer serves not only as a treasure for scholars, but also subtly embodies the ideals of personal cultivation and state governance. Reciting these lines today, one cannot help but momentarily detach from reality and envision the refined sentiments of the ancients. Moreover, the values embodied by Sanqing cha—integrity, clarity, and purity—still deeply resonate with the hearts of contemporary individuals.

Teapots inscribed with the ‘three purities tea’ poem are very rare, and the shape of the current teapot is even more extraordinary. The majority of Qianlong porcelain teapots are either globular or ovoid, and the hemispherical form of the current vessel is highly unusual. It seems possible that the shape may have been chosen for its additional stability, perhaps for use by the emperor while travelling or when he took tea in an outdoor setting. The hemispherical form of the current teapot may be compared to the that of large Chinese ceramic wine vats, and to small so-called ‘beehive’ water pots prized by 18th century imperial scholars. The latter vessels were often known as taibo zun, named after the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, who was also called Li Taibo. This philosophy of blending practicality with elegance transcends time, filling viewers with fascination and offering a glimpse into the ancients’ refined sensibility—where spirit revealed itself in subtle details, and ideals were embodied in everyday objects.

During the prosperous reigns of the three Qing emperors, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, the refined literary culture and taste for antiquities that flourished in the late Ming Jiangnan region were actively embraced and further developed. These emperors were discerning connoisseurs of scholar’s objects, and following their examples, the master of Ai Lian Tang also cultivated a deep appreciation for this tradition. Accordingly, the Ai Lian Tang Collection includes a Southern Song Dynasty Guan mallow-shaped lobed washer, as well as a superb and extremely rare emerald-green jadeite archasitic censer and cover, fangding, formerly part of the prestigious collection of Baron Fujita. Also featured is an important and very rare Yuan dynasty ‘Zhuque’ brown-lacquered qin. All these treasures will be presented at Christie’s Hong Kong Autumn Sale on 30 October 2025. We cordially invite connoisseurs of Chinese art from around the world to appreciate the elegant literati spirit of ancient emperors.